On The Horizon
by NoBuses
Summary: Since the discovery of their mutual love of magic, Willow and Tara are set to become fast friends. But when stronger feelings develop, how will their relationship cope? - I'm sorry but this is going on hiatus until I reach season 4 on my re-watch. It's just awkward to keep looking up certain episodes and stuff... should be back in a month or so!
1. The Beginning

**My first attempt at writing - set during 'Hush'. If I recieve some positive/constructive reviews I'll upload the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer - unfortunately, the only things i own are the spelling and grammar mistakes...**

**Enjoy!**

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Following their mockery of a wicca meeting, Tara had been unable to stop thinking about Willow. She spoke out in the group, giving Tara the courage to at least attempt to make herself heard for the first time in the entire year she'd been a part of that group. Nobody else had ever managed to make her come out of her shell, and she was determined to show Willow she was a potential friend.

That evening after the freaky laryngitis outbreak, she gathered a spell books inherited from her mother and looked up Willow's room number in the directory. She was 99% sure that Willow really was a witch, or at least interested in becoming one, so she didn't expect her to shoo her away like a crazy person, but Tara still worried. As she set off across campus, thoughts were flying around her brain like crazy bats; what if she had this all wrong? What if she messed up her one chance at a true friend? What if-

Her thoughts were cut short, however, when she noticed two monkey-like creatures wearing torn straitjackets lumbering towards her at an alarming speed. Her heart thudded against her chest as she saw two suited figures round the corner a little too smoothly... Oh Goddess! They were floating a couple of inches above the ground, eerily silent compared to their gorilla servants. Her eyes were focused on the gap between them and the ground, and she dropped her books in shock, raising her head to look at their faces. They had a fixed, terrifying grin on their faces; ecstatically happy, yet with no emotion whatsoever behind it. Staring at their pallid skin, black teeth and deep-set wrinkles, she was glued to the spot, and if the jangling of the buckles on their lackies' jackets hadn't roused her from her trance, she would have received impromptu open heart surgery right there and then.

Her first thought, terrified as she was, was to look for Willow, make sure she was safe. It was crazy, she'd barely even heard the girl speak, but she prioritised her safety above her own. She ran as fast as she could towards Willow's dorm, faster than she had ever run before, hearing the chiming of the servants close behind her. Her heart pounded, her muscles burned, sweat gathered on her brow as she ran up the flight of stairs taking them two at a time in order to reach Willow as fast as she possibly could.

Willow awoke in a cold sweat. She could still hear the horrible clanging and banging noise from her dream – wait – she really could hear it. What was going on here?

After falling asleep at her computer studying old legends to try and figure out just what is going on, she assumed they had given her a nightmare. But no, the noises definitely weren't only in her head. And they were getting closer.

Tara streaked towards Willow's room, continuing to bang on doors, hoping anyone would come out and be able to help her get away from these horrible creatures. Just as she reached a door, before even knocking on it, it opened, revealing another two of them, holding – Goddess! - a real human heart! She almost tripped over her own feet heading back towards the stairs, but her original pursuers had already reached the top and were floating towards her, almost calmly, scalpel in hand as if to say, _you're next. _

After quickly checking the noise wasn't coming from her laptop or anywhere else in the room, Willow headed towards the door. The banging had stopped, but she could now hear footsteps and the clanging noise was even louder. She could sense something was wrong, and she knew it wasn't Buffy, Xander or Giles in danger. So why could she sense so strongly that she absolutely had to go out there and help somebody? She opened her door...

Tara sprinted as fast as she could, narrowly missing the two creatures holding the heart as she turned the corner and collided with Willow.

Oh Goddess, I've ruined it now, she thought, as she saw Willow's silent yelp in pain. She grabbed Willow, pulling her to her feet, hoping she could run, that she wasn't hurt too bad, that she would give her another chance, that they could be friends...

Her chain of thought was, once again, interrupted by the jangling of buckles. She had almost forgotten about their unwanted guests. Luckily, Willow seemed to be able to run, so that's exactly what they did. They made it to the laundry room, but Tara could just tell that Willow was in a huge amount of pain, so they bundled into the small room, locking the door behind them. Willow hobbled over to a huge soda machine, and, though they both knew their effort was futile, they attempted to push it towards the door as the strange creatures began rattling the handle, but it was to no avail. Willow almost collapsed against a dryer and clutched her leg, staring intently at the soda machine. Tara immediately understood her intentions, and watched, amazed, as Willow made the machine shudder, but not move very far. She looked exhausted as a look of defeat raised in her eyes, and her whole face seemed to sink as she leaned back against the machine, giving up. Tara was having none of it.

She knelt next to Willow and looked intently in her eyes, telling her without words that they would get through this. Tara Maclay, the world's shiest girl, operated much better in silence, her stutter making her feel as if nobody would be willing to talk to her. She had gone through high school virtually friendless, always afraid to start conversations and unintentionally shunning those who started them with her, feeling as if she wasn't worth their time. This is why Willow felt so important – she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt as if she would be the one who would listen to her.

Again operating without words, she gently raised her hand towards Willow's, slowly, tentatively, and linked their fingers together. As their fingers intertwined, all of Tara's worries evaporated. She had been accepted.

They turned, as one, towards the vending machine, staring at it, and it flew like a cannonball towards to door, crashing against it, the glass on the front of it making a loud crunching sound. They turned to look at each other, amazed at what they had just achieved, breathless from the sheer intensity of performing a spell with somebody else. Tara gave Willow her shy, lopsided smile, and Willow relaxed, giving her a small grin. In that moment they became friends.


	2. Making Plans

**Wow, thanks for all the views guys! I really appreciate it. If anybody has any suggestions of what they would like to add to this story, I'm happy to hear them. This is just a short chapter set during the end of 'Hush'. **

**Disclaimer – I own nothing to do with Buffy, except seasons 1-7 and all the comics...**

**Enjoy!**

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They remained that way for a few minutes, Willow exhausted, leaning against the clothes dryer for support, and Tara sat blissfully looking at the interlocked hands resting on her lap. Suddenly, they were both hit by a bright white stream of light that flew directly into their throats, knocking them backwards and apart from each other.

After a moment's unconsciousness, they both sat up, and immediately they felt different. In unison, they raised their hands to their throats.

"Hello?" Willow spoke tentatively, not sure of whether sound would come out or not. "Oh! It worked!"

"H-hi," said Tara cautiously, her shy personality re-emerging along with her voice.

"Wow, that was some spell," Willow said, beaming at Tara, who smiled a half-smile, the corner of her mouth on the left hand side raising slightly and her soft blonde hair falling in front of her face as she bent her head to hide it. She raised a hand to lightly brush it back behind her ear, and Willow couldn't help but feel something strange, deep down in her stomach. She was only half aware of it, unsure what it was, but surprisingly it felt similar to the feeling she got when she first saw Oz. She figured it was caused by residual magical energy in the room, but to any passer-by, although the girls were unaware of it, there was more than just magical tension in the air.

"W-what are those... th-things?" asked Tara, noticing Willow's bright green eyes fixed on her.

"I don't know, but we're safe in here." Willow replied, becoming more and more aware of how close the pretty blonde was to her. After raising themselves back into sitting positions, Tara's knee was lightly touching Willow's, and the pressure of the other woman's leg against hers was comforting and... something else Willow couldn't quite decide.

"D-do you think they're g-gone?" Tara stuttered, annoyed at herself for being so ridiculously shy. Surely Willow must think it idiotic that a 19 year old woman still suffered from such a childish disorder.

_Her stutter is kind of.. adorable? _Thought Willow to herself, trying to think of the correct word to describe it without thinking of the other woman in a weird way. "There's only one way to find out," she said aloud. Slowly, with Tara's help, Willow struggled to her feet, much more fatigued from the casting of the spell than she thought she would be. Tara's hand was on her elbow, supporting her gently as she rose. Her skin was soft and warm, and beneath that exterior there was a hard core of strength that Willow could sense more than feel physically. She just knew, somehow, that Tara had had troubles as she grew up. Bullies, maybe. For some reason, this made Willow feel angry and protective, and she wanted to hurt those who had hurt Tara.

They walked, Tara supporting Willow, towards the door. Peering through the crack the vending machine had made in the glass window on the door when they collided, Willow instantly knew it was safe outside, by the fact that the creatures' heads had exploded, coating the walls out in the corridor in a disgusting green slime. Willow turned to smile reassuringly at Tara, letting her know they could leave.

* * *

Shortly after exiting the room, Tara had walked Willow back to her dorm room.

"I-I'm sorry for d-disturbing you," Tara said.

"It's fine, lucky I didn't have plans or, well, we both know what might have happened," Willow replied, her tone telling Tara that she was actually quite happy to have seen her. "I mean, I know you can call some people heartless, but these guys were taking it to the extreme."

"H-hearts?" Tara questioned, furrowing her brow in confusion. "L-like, people hearts?"

"Yes, people hearts," Willow replied, causing Tara to frown further. "Look, it's kinda late," she said, looking at her watch, showing it was almost half past 2 in the morning. "Wow, it's _really _late!"

"S-sorry for w-waking you, and thank you for h-helping me," Tara said, the half smile re-emerging onto her face. She made no attempt to hide it this time.

"Don't worry about it," Willow smiled back at her, their eyes locking and something, an unidentified feeling passed between them. Tara suddenly became aware of how close they were standing and took a few steps away, starting to leave.

"Wait!" Willow called. Tara turned around. "Meet me tomorrow? We can talk about magic and... stuff," she finished, realising how boring her proposition sounded.

"Sounds great," Tara replied, proud of herself for not stuttering and smiling happily. She turned and walked away with a spring in her step, Willow watching her turn the corner before returning to her room with a warm feeling inside.


	3. Meeting

**Again, thanks for all the views guys! You're amazing. I'm really enjoying writing this. Thanks to Raynan and Errik's angel for your reviews, and if anybody else has feedback I'm happy to hear it :)**

**Disclaimer – I own nothing yada yada yada...**

**Enjoy!**

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_The next day..._

"Hey!" Willow exclaimed happily, walking towards Tara who was sat comfortably in one of the armchairs in dorm lounge.

"H-hi," the blonde replied with her trademark shy smile. "Y-you didn't say w-what time to m-meet," she said, jokingly accusing her.

"Oh Goddess I'm sorry Tara! I hope you haven't been waiting long!" Willow exclaimed, her cheeks flushing.

"N-no it's fine," Tara said. Truth be told, she had been sat in the same armchair for the past three hours, not wanting to be late meeting Willow, but she wasn't about to let the other witch know this.

Her newest spell book had kept her company.

Willow wasn't stupid, though. She saw the mug of coffee next to Tara, the dregs in the bottom looking cold, and her book with the bookmark near the last pages, still with the stickers on the cover, showing her it was brand new. Feeling extremely guilty, she changed the subject.

"Last night... You were there looking for me?"

Tara nodded. "I thought maybe we could do a spell- make people talk again. I-I'd seen you in the group, the wicca group, you were... you were d-different than them. I mean, they didn't seem to-to know..."

"What they were talking about," Willow finished her sentence. It felt natural, as if it was something she had been doing all of her life. She also noticed Tara's stutter was lessening every minute she spent with her, as if she was starting to feel comfortable around her, and this gave her a funny, warm feeling inside.

Tara let out a small giggle, and replied with, "I think if they saw a witch they would run the other way!"

Willow laughed too, enjoying the happiness that flashed across Tara's face, and the gleam in her eye. Tara was proud of herself for making the other woman laugh, and for the first time since she was young, she had spoken an entire sentence without stuttering or tripping over her words. She knew it was something to do with Willow, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

After sitting in a companionable silence for a minute or so, Willow spoke again.

"How long have you been practising?"

"Always, I mean, since I um, was little... my, my mom used to, she um, she had a lot of power, like you."

Willow felt happy at being complimented, but the happiness was tainted, as she could see hurt in the blonde's soft blue eyes. Obviously, her mom was a sensitive subject for the other girl. She decided not to question Tara about her though. After all, they hadn't known each other very long, even though it didn't feel like that.

"Oh I'm not... I don't have much in the way of power. Really, I mean, most of my potions come out soup. Besides... spells going awry, friends in danger... I'm definitely nothing special.

"No, you are," Tara said, her stutter non-existent as she spoke from the heart. She had said this without really thinking about it, and, although she didn't know why, she knew it was true.

Willow smiled warmly at Tara, and at that moment they both know, inexplicably, that they would become very important to one another. Tara took the feeling to mean she had made her first real friend, and that she finally had someone she could confide in, who would be there for her. Willow, however, was confused. She was beginning to feel the same things for Tara that she had felt as she was starting to get to know Oz – but this couldn't be right, she didn't like girls like that, did she? Willow was overwhelmed by confusion, and Tara's beautiful blue eyes weren't helping.

Seeing the redheaded wicca fighting some kind of internal battle, Tara quickly changed the subject, her smile fading. "Last night, those th-things... the Gentlemen, you said? W-what were they?"

Willow's train of thought was broken by the question, and she had to think for a minute before answering her. "It's a long story... have you ever heard a, um, nursery rhyme," she asked, feeling a bit foolish and wondering if Tara would even believe her, "that goes a bit like this," she said, turning red as she prepared to recite it.

"Can't even shout, can't even cry," she started to sing. To her surprise, Tara joined her in the next line, also blushing slightly. "The gentlemen are coming by," they sang in unison, receiving a few funny looks from the people studying in the armchairs nearby. Tara giggled slightly at the raised eyebrows of the other residents. Willow's heart skipped a beat at her small laugh, and she found herself smiling too.

"S-so these things... they're from a nursery rhyme? H-how is that even..." Tara wondered aloud.

"There are some things I really can't explain to you just yet, you have to trust me when I tell you they were as real as you and me," Willow replied. _You and me_... that phrase just sounded so good, so... right.

"I trust you," Tara said, surprising herself again with words she didn't realise she had said. Willow smiled, this simple statement making her feel good.

Willow glanced down at her wristwatch and noticed, to her dismay, that she was already 15 minutes late for the Scooby meeting at Giles'. "Tara, I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to get going," she said, the sadness clear in her voice. She could have sat there all day talking to Tara.

"Oh, o-okay, it was nice s-seeing you," Tara said, feeling exactly the same way.

"It was," Willow said, smiling as she stood up. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Y-yeah, bye Willow."

"Bye, Tara."

Willow walked away, smiling as she was thinking about their conversation, aware of Tara's eyes on her as she left. Tara watched her leave, her tall slim figure looking great in the faded red jumper and long dark skirt she was wearing. Tara smiled to herself, and, gathering her things, she waited until she could no longer see the redhead, then left.


	4. Magic and Other Emotions

**Again, thanks for all the views guys. I think there'll only be a few more chapters as I've had an idea for a humongous Glee fic – if you're into that then check it out, it'll be up in a week or so, maybe less. **

**This is the chapter where I will begin to deviate from the actual storyline – what's the fun in writing events that have already happened?!**

**Disclaimer – I own my house, my bed and this laptop, but sadly not BTVS. **

**Enjoy!**

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After a few days apart, the redhead was seriously missing the blonde. Should I call her? Go see her maybe? No that would be all creepy stalker-ish, wouldn't it? She couldn't remember ever having such conflicting feelings about someone. She couldn't decide if Tara was a friend, or potentially more. She was interrupted, however, by the shrill ringing of her phone.

"You've reached the room of Willow Rosenberg and Buffy Summers, unfortunately Willow is here right now so whoever you are, you're gonna have to put up with me," Willow joked down the line, expecting to hear the gruff voice of Xander or Giles, and being pleasantly surprised when it wasn't.

"H-hi Willow," a familiar voice breathed, with a hint of laughter behind it. "Do you want to come over tonight? T-to my room, I mean, we could do some... some spells or... something," Tara asked.

"I'd love to, I'll be right over, do you want me to, um, bring anything?"

"N-no it's okay, see you soon," said Tara, and Willow could tell she was smiling on the other end of the phone.

"Bye!" Willow exclaimed happily.

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A few minutes later, there was a knock on Tara's door. She rushed to answer it, a silly, inexplicable grin on her face. Before calling, earlier that evening, Tara had sat down and seriously thought about the feelings she was having for the other woman. She had known she was gay from a very early age, before she even knew what it meant, and she had received many beatings from her father and brother for her sexuality. They called her disgusting and wrong, but when she liked a girl it felt so right that she knew _they _were the disgusting ones, and she was perfectly comfortable with herself, no matter who tried to tell her otherwise. She had been unable to get Willow off her mind since she last saw her, and had thought many times about calling her, or going to see her, but didn't want to look like some kind of creepy stalker.

She opened the door, being greeted by a similar facial expression, only the hair was red and the eyes were green. _She's beautiful_, Tara thought to herself. Willow took in the sight of Tara's long, earthy brown skirt and low-cut green top, and thought exactly the same thing.

They said their hellos, and Tara invited Willow in. Willow looked around the room, taking in the fairy lights, spell tomes and various ingredients lying around the room, and smiled at the prettiness of it. _Just like its owner,_ she thought. In that moment, something unspoken passed between them as Willow turned to face Tara and their eyes locked. They both knew how the other felt – neither of them knew how, or why they knew, but they just did. Willow walked over to Tara and wordlessly presented her with a bright red rose she had picked on her way to Tara's dorm. Somehow, she knew they were her favourite.

"T-thank you W-willow, you didn't have to b-bring me anything," Tara began, but was shushed by Willow.

"I thought maybe we could try something with it," she said. "We'll start out slow."

"Okay," replied Tara, looking confused. She paused, then, "Willow?"

"Yeah?"

Tara's eyes widened at the innuendo she was about to create, "start out slow doing what?"

Willow's heart jumped at the undertones in Tara's voice, and her heart leapt. She replied, in a soft voice, "Oh. We're gonna float the rose. Then use the magicks to pluck the petals off, one at a time. It's a test of synchronicity. Our minds have to be perfectly attuned to work as a single delicate implement."

Tara looked slightly confused, and was slightly surprised at Willow's outburst of long words. "Cool," she said, simply.

"And it should be very pretty," Willow smiled, drawing a soft giggle from Tara.

They sat on the floor, and Willow carefully drew out a golden star on the carpet, then encircled it with various herbs, drawing a careful dot in each of the star's points. One for each of the elements; earth, water, fire, air and magick.

Once she was done, they sat, legs crossed at opposite ends of the small diagram, knees touching slightly. Willow gently linked her fingers with Tara's, a warm feeling flooding her body as they touched. They closed their eyes, and began the spell. Slowly, they opened their eyes to see the beautiful rose floating about a foot off the ground in between them, inches from their faces.

"It worked!" Tara exclaimed quietly, afraid a loud noise would ruin the moment.

"Now for the hard part," Willow said, smiling at the look of amazement in the blonde's deep blue eyes. "The petals."

They began to concentrate again, eyes open this time, staring at each other rather than the rose. Willow squeezed Tara's hands as the first 5 petals were pulled from the rose. They hovered gently above the point of the star meaning 'fire', then burst into a gentle pink flame. The next 5 were pulled off cautiously, and dissolved into a cascade of water over another point on the star, which disappeared before hitting the floor. The next five became a mini tornado, hurtling around the girl's heads for a few seconds before vanishing in a gentle breeze. More petals succumbed to the element of earth, turning brown then crumbling to dirt, showering the girls in brown flecks which vanished as quickly as they appeared. The final petals sprung off and remained stationary in the air, then, one by one, they burst into brightly coloured sparks, flying into the witches bodies, leaving them feeling energized and ecstatically happy.

"Wow... that was i-intense," said Tara, smiling at Willow, the heady rush leaving her breathless and unable to respond. She simply laid on Tara's carpet, aware of the other woman's warm leg near her head, their left hands still linked together.

Once she had gathered her breath, Willow nodded gently, the back of her hair grazing Tara's thigh as she responded with, "it certainly was."

Willow sat up reluctantly, and with regret in her tone, she told Tara that she should really be on her way. Tara, however, pulled a puppy-dog-eyes face, which was _totally _unfair in Willow's opinion and asked her to stay the night. Willow considered, and, realising that Buffy would probably be staying the night at Lowell House with Riley, she accepted.

* * *

After borrowing some of Tara's PJs, Willow turned her back on the other woman to respect her privacy as they both got changed. However, Tara's room had a full length mirror leaned against the wall, and Willow looked past her own reflection, seeing Tara's slightly muscular figure revealed as she removed her shirt. The sight of her silky white skin absorbing the moonlight from the window as she took off her bra made Willow stop moving altogether. She was mesmerized by the other woman, chills going down her spine at the sight of her shirtless back. As Tara donned her shirt, Willow quickly pulled hers over her head to hide the fact she had been staring. The shirt smelled like Tara, a soft scent, which to Willow, reminded her of home, her safe place. After quickly changing her skirt into some comfortable joggers, and glancing at the smooth shape of Tara's legs which ended at one end in her delicate feet, and the other her firm, toned bum, she crawled into Tara's bed, turning off the lamp at her side as the blonde wicca climbed in the other side, turning off her lamp also.

The sheets smelled deliciously of Tara, and Willow snuggled down into them, her back to the other woman, and was surprised to feel heat against her back and an arm snaking around her waist as Tara pulled her close. Her legs pressed against Willow's, her small bum against her thigh and her ample breasts and toned stomach touching the other woman's back, Tara was so happy. She could have stayed in the moment forever. Willow made a contented sigh as she got comfortable in her position against the witch, and linked her fingers with the hand of the arm that was wrapped around her, for no other purpose than to just feel close.

That night, both girls had the best night's sleep they had ever experienced.


	5. Morning

**Thanks for your positive reviews, you make me want to continue writing this :3 this is just a short chapter so I can keep giving you the quick updates.**

**Again, if you have ideas of what you would like to see, just PM me or leave a review.**

**Disclaimers make me sad :( **

**Enjoy!**

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Willow woke the next morning with soft breath on her forehead, a leg placed in between hers, an arm slung around her waist and the feeling of a warm body in her arms. A human braid on the bed, Tara and Willow had subconsciously wrapped themselves up in one another, enjoying the feeling of safeness and security; the feeling of _home._

Tara's eyes fluttered open, and Willow kept hers closed, wanting to enjoy it for as long as possible. After all, the feelings she had for Tara would never be returned. It was stupid to think there was even a chance of, what, a relationship? Never gonna happen. She had resigned herself to this, so she did the best she could to control her breathing, pretending to still be in a deep sleep.

In reality, Tara had been awake for quite a while, and was feeling exactly the same. She didn't want to move, didn't want to ruin this perfect moment. Convinced Willow was asleep, she gently opened her eyes, taking in the sight of Willow's auburn hair shining slightly as it reflected the sun streaming in through the open window. She could hear birds singing and feel a slight breeze, it was a beautiful day outside. She looked down at Willow's face, nestled into her neck, and began daydreaming about her bright green eyes, the way their corners crinkled when she smiled, and the way the sparkled as she laughed.

All too soon, Tara's alarm clock began bleeping, signalling it was time for her to get up and complete her morning routine before going to class. She sighed, and with great regret, she gently shook Willow awake.

"Wh-what? Where am – oh good morning!" Willow said, grinning at Tara's face, so close to her own.

"M-morning sleepyhead," Tara replied, Willow's infectious smile spreading across her face too.

"What time is it?" Willow asked, her smile fading as she realised she had class at 9.

"A couple minutes p-past eight," replied Tara.

"Oh no! I have a class at nine and it's maths and Mr Banner will kill me and I still have to get dressed and wash and eat and oh no!" Willow rambled, panic killing her smile altogether. Tara was upset at the sight of the distressed redhead, and automatically pulled her into a close hug, not too sure why, but she just wanted to comfort the smaller woman. Willow was instantly calmed in the arms of the other girl, and after a few minutes she reluctantly crawled out of bed, quickly donning her clothes while Tara did the same.

Willow went into Tara's adjoining bathroom and quickly washed her face, deciding it would be easier to go back to her dorm and brush her teeth after her only morning class, opting instead to spend the time it would take with Tara.

Once Tara had completed her own morning routine, they sat on her bed together, less than a foot apart, and just talked. They discussed spells, potions, anything magicky, and before they knew it, it was time to leave. With sadness in the pit of both their stomachs, they walked until they were just outside Tara's dorm, and said their goodbyes, heading in different directions. Before they parted, they shared a hug, both women inhaling the smell of the other's hair and appreciating the close, soft feeling of the other's skin wherever they touched. The hug lasted slightly longer than a hug between just friends would have done, but neither witch noticed, or even cared.


End file.
